Labor Day List

This actually has very little to do with Labor Day, but I am a sucker for alliteration, and today is as good a day as any to write a bit of a capstone piece on our recent two-week vacation. We've been home for a few days but are still clinging to the glow that came from lots of time away, TOGETHER, and with our dear families.

During this trip I (we):

:: celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary

:: unloaded the first round of baby paraphernalia on my brother- and sister-in-law, who are expecting a little girl in January

:: walked in the woods

:: stopped to smell the flowers... and the horses, cows, and sheep

:: went out for TWO dinners for two

:: reconnected

:: read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover

:: bought jeans and a fleece jacket when the weather surprised me

:: drank coffee twice a day thanks to unlimited Keurig access

:: visited the top of Horsebarn Hill, where Don proposed

:: watched both kids have a blast at Mystic Aquarium

:: got to know my in-laws better than ever before

:: picnicked in the park

:: watched Amy play for hours with a plastic deer named Daphne

:: found this set of Paula Deen cookware on clearance at Kohls for $50, AND found room in the car to bring it home

:: saw pure delight on the face of my girl as she and her daddy set out to camp in the backyard (yes, she made it the whole night in the tent!)

:: was, according to Don, annoyingly nonchalant about Hurricane Earl

:: witnessed how fast recovery from daVinci Robotic Surgery can be and praised God that my dad has a cancer-free prognosis

:: stayed in a hotel on the way home and shared a pint of coconut-milk ice cream with Don after the kids were asleep

:: took over 200 pictures that are currently trapped on the camera

:: put 1354 miles on the Subaru

:: wished that we could turn around and do it all again